Darren McFadden gets final chance to prove his worth to Oakland

The structure of Darren McFadden’s new deal with the Oakland Raiders makes clear the former No. 4 overall draft pick didn’t expect to find much of a market in free agency.

McFadden got a $100,000 signing bonus and no other guarantees on the one-year contract. He has a scheduled base salary of $1.25 million, a $144,000 workout bonus and up to $256,000 in per-game roster bonuses ($16,000 each time he’s on the active 46-man roster).

That’s a base value of $1.75 million with another $2.25 million available in incentives – a relative pittance for a player who has yet to live up to his six-year, $42 million rookie contract.

By comparison, former Minnesota Vikings backup Toby Gerhart got a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday that included $4.5 million in guarantees.

For McFadden, the short-term deal allows him to hit the market again in a year if he finally capitalizes on his potential. But he turns 29 in August and still has yet to play more than 13 games in a season. He rushed for just 379 yards on 114 carries last season.

If McFadden doesn’t take advantage of his “prove it” contract, he may not just be out of chances with the Raiders – he may be out of chances in the NFL, period.